Summer baseball travel leagues may be more important than high school teams

Courtesy PhotoDerek Dennis credits his time playing summer baseball with earning a spot on the University of Michigan baseball team.

Editor’s note: This is the third story in a four-part series examining the pros and cons of youths playing extensive travel baseball versus Little League, or a combination of the two.

Derek Dennis remembers drawing a stark conclusion from watching his teammates who elected to take the summer off after playing three months of the high school baseball season.

The former Forest Hills Central star and current University of Michigan shortstop knew if the players entertained any hope at all of playing at the next level, they were making a huge mistake in turning away from the game during the summer.

Dennis, a 10th-round draft choice by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2009, credits his extensive summer travel ball schedule with catching the eye of college and pro scouts. When teammates opted for the beach or finding a job, Dennis didn't miss a beat in zeroing in on summer baseball to hone his talents.

"It's very, very important," said Dennis, who has started 98 of his 101 career games in three years at Michigan. "That's where you get seen, that's where the tournaments and showcases are. In high school, you don't get seen as much. You have to play in the summer."

Dennis said the exposure of playing in elite tournaments with the Wyoming-based Diamonds travel team not only helped draw attention to him, learning to play with wooden bats and getting in more than the combination of 56 games/dates allowed by the Michigan High School Athletic Association helped take his game to the next level.

Dennis, a former Louisville Slugger pre-season All-American in 2009, admits it's not likely he would have wound up at Michigan or being drafted by the Rays if he hadn't played more than 50 summer games after his junior and senior high school seasons.

"It's a grind, but you have to get out," Dennis said. "I don't think I would be where I am without it. Coach (former Wolverines coach Rich) Maloney saw me at a showcase and then coaches started coming to see me in high school. But it all came from summer ball. It's important to play."

That opinion is shared by virtually all college coaches and professional scouts, who say chilly Michigan springs aren't conducive to player development in April and May. Because baseball is a sport which demands repetition to build skills, college coaches and scouts say it's crucial that ballplayers play June through August.

Detroit Tigers area scout Clyde Weir said the summer months are a far better time to assess players' skills, in many cases against significantly better competition than players see during the high school season.

"Scouting summer baseball is huge,” Weir said. “It's chance to see players in good weather, and the more we see of them the better," Weir said.

"You see kids at the high school level where they dominate. But it's always extremely critical to see kids in the summer because of the change from community-driven teams to playing on super teams that are put together and travel around. That change is dynamic."

Weir said the high school season simply doesn't provide youngsters enough opportunity to "experience the game for their own development." He said youngsters need to hone all skills -- from pitching and hitting to learning to running the bases -- and excel in game situations that practices can't simulate.

Weir said putting a number on exactly how much additional work a hitter or pitcher needs is difficult, but he said the figure of 150-200 at-bats is close for a serious ballplayer. For pitchers, it often depends on how many innings they logged in April and May, but making one start during the week and another on the weekend is a solid beginning, Weir said.

"The quality of competition and kids playing at a higher level speaks volumes for improving overall performance," Weir said.

Providing that opportunity is a cornerstone of indoor training facilities, which sponsor teams for as young as 8-year-olds. The scenario typically begins with a parent looking for offseason training then inquiring about the next step, which is joining one of the facility's travel teams. The youngest of those teams usually play an abbreviated schedule with actually little travel compared to 11-year-olds, who easily could play anywhere from 35 to 80 games in a summer. As 15-year-olds -- the first summer for high school-age ballplayers -- a typical schedule may include at least 50 games in a compacted seven-week schedule. The final travel teams for players 18-under also play about 50 games, depending on their success in tournaments.

College coaches say the large weekend tournaments for travel ball teams gives them the opportunity to see prospects multiple times against superior competition.

Those tournaments are radically different than the limited schedule many of today's coaches had as ballplayers in the mid-1980s. For instance, Michigan State coach Jake Boss said as little as 20 years ago players were still using the summers after their senior years to attract colleges. Now colleges and pro scouts compile reports on sophomores and juniors largely based on their summer experience.

"It's different now, because recruiting starts faster and faster now," Boss said. "We can see 40 teams in a weekend now. Playing in a tournament with good teams, we try to cover as many kids and teams as possible."

Western Michigan coach Billy Gernon said his post-high school experience included American Legion ball and little travel. He said weekend travel tournaments not only give coaches an idea of where a player stands, it gives the player perspective on his future. Many coaches feel the better players begin separating themselves from lesser-talented players by age 15 or 16.

"There is a lot of recruiting done in one weekend at one site," Gernon said. "For kids, it's a good experience because it gives them a taste of travel and playing a lot of games against quality competition. It tells them if they're going to want this type of lifestyle."

Coaches say they understand the financial pressure of travel baseball and offer alternatives if a family can't afford to send their kids to indoor training facilities. They suggest following initial contact with coaches by sending videos or by attending one-day camps sponsored in the offseason by colleges. The Detroit Tigers, for instance, usually hold an annual tryout camp at Fifth Third Ballpark.

In an electronic age dominated by YouTube and the Internet, coaches say few players actually fall through the cracks -- provided parents are proactive in some fashion.

"I think there are more opportunities now," Weir said. "The coaching is better, there are more good assistants and colleges are trying to improve their programs. If it's not better, it's just as good.

"The cream will rise to the top. The players with those skills, like they always have, will separate themselves and get an opportunity."

But that opportunity, they say, won't come unless a youngster is playing the game. Whether it's in an elite weekend tournament or in a local weeknight league created in rural towns, players have to play the game, coaches say.

Boss said parents shouldn't worry that a youngster will fall through the cracks -- as long as they play.

"The level is important to a certain degree, but you just need to play with good quality teams," he said. "If you can't afford it, that's one thing. But you have to play regardless of who you're playing for."

"It doesn't matter where you play -- you'll be seen," Gernon concludes. "But summer ball is the stage."